Post "Gottem" by "jephjacques"

Livy N

As a former gifted student, this cuts deep

Leak

That's one heck of an isekai origin story... D:

Opus the Poet

"Just nuts" means there haven't been enough people like you to give your condition a name.

Opus the Poet

Many horny Roman soldiers also had a hand in the mix.

Charles Hirst

Almost everyone I know who is happy with their life now has had a major reset at some time in the past (the earlier, the better). Mine was 60-odd years ago.

Opus the Poet

Another brain-damaged Patron! We should make a club.

enchantedsleeper

Isn't that what academia is? xD

Sean Kinlin

Willow pillow.

Clifton Royston

It took me until my 50s to realize that I was dealing with ADHD, and I wasn't just nuts.

Opus the Poet

Nope, I changed schools 16 time by 9th grade. I didn't get to stay in the good schools, but on the plus side I didn't have to stay in the really bad schools. About the truck, that was the third one to hit me and the first time I got hurt enough to transport. Long story short a DUI took umbrage at my bike existing on the same street he was driving on and when I didn't bunnyhop over the curb onto the sidewalk that wouldn't exist for another decade he pulled a U-turn to get on my side of the median and hit me at an estimated 60 MPH (about 100 KPH) destroying the truck and temporarily killing me. As the EMTs were getting me ready for the body bag, because they could see how far away the initial impact was and I had no detectable pulse or respiration, so the first thing they did was get a bag for my remains. It wasn't until I complained about the fact I had broken the upper part of my femur (the only thing I could feel, I missed the other 3 broken bones and the gigantic hole opposite where the truck hit me splattering chunks out, and also all the missing skin on other parts of my body) that they knew I wasn't dead yet. By that point the swelling around my optic nerves had made me temporarily blind so when I regained consciousness in the ambulance it didn't occur to me that they didn't have the lights off. Also I can actually talk and make sense even when I'm unconscious. I gave the wrong answers to every question police asked me about where I lived, what my phone number was, if I was married... I told them the address I was living at when I was in HS 25 years prior, my parent's phone number from a different state than either the HS address or where I was living then (and now) and the second time I regained consciousness I was in the middle of making a joke about getting the number of the truck because it was too late in the evening to be a bus that hit me. I spent 2 weeks in hospital, many months in and out of rehab, had to learn how to ride a bike again, and was riding metric centuries (100 km, about 65 miles) 11 months after the wreck.

Sarah Buisson

I'm from a family of child prodigue. Its kinda scarry how it's true. Growing up I was the black sheep and cautionary tale: if all of us are genius why only she had average grade? We are all rised the same, Something must being wrong with her . Well, anyway they all end up either choose prestigious but poor choice college study, or burn out, or discover they couldn't function outside of school , like, at all. All of they struggle, like, a LOT Meanwhile I end up getting a good diploma, a good career. I have a life a little better than average , aka I could go to vacation and have a beautiful condo... Which make them feel even badder about the few think they got. And now the comparaison inverse, which make everything zvenmore shitter: even with average grade xxxx end up with a good paying job and you could even find a living wage with your prestigious literacy degree? What is wrong with you?

Dan Martinez

It almost worries me how easily Jeph can make me fall in love with a character over the course just a few pages. For a while, Iris seemed like background comic relief — the fundamentally unflappable cynic. Now she's very much something else.

Victor Stevko

Wow.

David Paul

Meh, see how the night goes 😉

Auros Harman

There are definitely people who identify as ace because they don't particularly want to _have sex with a partner_, but they still do feel some kind of arousal or find stuff hot, and may enjoy masturbation. Brun's descriptions of finding male bodies arousing, but being pretty indifferent to the partnered sex she's tried at least _could_ match up with something like that.

Joe

first time I ever felt the "I feel seen" thing. I was dead last in my class junior year. I graduated. doesn't matter where in the class. I. got. a. degree. & then slightly less than ten years later got a couple masters. I found a way. I met one of my classmates years later. he hadn't found a way.

Lucas Werkmeister

in which Liz submits to the mortifying ordeal of being known

Lucas Werkmeister

Iris is into all kinds of knife fights, physical and metaphorical.

Captain Button

Is a "field of mutual understanding" a conservative force field? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservative_force

Captain Button

Not sure about 'turning her on again'...

Miyaa

English: the language developed by drunk vikings, french, and even a loopy Latin guy who is also drunk.

Mitsuki Ayane

yeah, I think a Willow nap would help her. ~<3

RadiusUlna

Aw Liz💙

Halloween Jack

Yes, although I only saw the movie (but Cronenberg, so).

Dan Weiss

A well matched pair. And a not unbelievable situation. That genius becomes your identity.

Riin Gill

Or you do really well in school, graduate, and realize the only skills you have are doing schoolwork, and no one will pay you to do that.

allanfranta

True!

Captain Button

When is Trashfire Lesbians next album coming out?

Carrie

🫂 I can relate and have acquired various types of brain damage so if you want to talk let me know.

alphanor

If it is we'll find out later.

Matt Wolber

insert Meet The Grahams reference here

allanfranta

Is that Chekhov's grill behind them?

allanfranta

Did they slam on the brakes when you were on the hood? That's what happened both times to me.

Stephen Wells

Iris always smells slightly of burning insulation due to her constant fuming and smouldering :)

legobil

She merely showed how she could destroy her.

legobil

Liz panel 6: 3|

legobil

Ouch. Liz got hit right in them feeeeelz.

Holly Nelson

Oooh yeah, nothing like undiagnosed ADHD to set you up for a succession of inexplicable failures. Done there, been that.

David Paul

Liz may not continue on the same course as she expected, but in time she will find herself, what she wants and where she needs to be. Especially with Marten and Claire supporting her.

Duncan

Made me laugh

David Paul

Nah, Iris was just going through some common troubleshooting steps to help identify and attempt to resolve the error code in the gremlin.

Charles Hirst

How often have you orked a cow? (Beware the shifting hyphen - those of us with large fingers or small keyboards suffer from them. )

Stephen Wells

Also headpats from Liz :)

Stephen Wells

Well, we've seen that Iris knows two ways she could destroy Liz, and chose not to. Maybe this is at least a detente. They should sleep with Willow about it.

Stephen Wells

This week of strips has been the conversational equivalent of one of the knife fights from Dune. Incredible work from Jeph.

Lucy Glorius

Wow, so similar - I just got my MSIS a year later.

Tabby

Nature is healing 😌 (Trashfire lesbians ftw!)

Carl Fink

I've gotten stuff wrong about this before, but if Brun was ace, would she have thought the idea of Elliot being with Clinton was hot? She's definitely looking to be on the spectrum, and sexuality is (I have been told) complicated for people with autism.

Clifton Royston

I am not sure whether Iris is trying to help Liz, or trying to destroy her, or merely passing on her observations, or just making conversation. But damn, I've been there too, as apparently a lot of your readers have. So thanks.

Rob Scott

Isn’t Gottem the place where Buttman lives?

Auros Harman

I believe you mean Brunhilde, not Bronwyn? https://questionablecontent.fandom.com/wiki/Brun_Khoury I don't think the comic has made Brun and Mille's relationship "official", and it's possible Brun is ace anyhow, but they clearly have established a very close friendship. The Brun "I AM VERY GOOD AT MY JOB" comic may be my favorite QC ever. Brun is my spirit animal. https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3215

Snippytorque

This comic strip here means a lot to me. The feeling of "why can't I just get back on track" is so familiar to me, and it was awful and isolating to have people around me give advice that wouldn't work, or be confused that someone so smart would be struggling so much. I feel less alone now, thanks to Iris. To Jeph: you go above and beyond with inclusivity, and I thank you so much for that.

Yelling Bird

I assure you, I am not Jeph.

Ye Olde Phart

To syphon off that alarming amount of mood here, let me note that you can fix that crack-spreading just with better fitting pants. Especially on construction sites, fellow cow-orkers and passersby will quite appreciate it. . . . . . . . . . In other notes: Damn Iris, what a well-phrased on-the-point battery of ICBMs to launch on unsuspecting targets. Not bad for a grumpy AI.

enchantedsleeper

It's empathy with an afterburn xD

enchantedsleeper

@SilverbackRon Yeah, on a recent re-read I really felt like Jeph had been building to something specific with that story arc, and then I think it just got lost in the shuffle? I'm not going to make any assumptions about where Millefeuille and Brun might be at, but I hope we get to see them pick up where they left off. (It's only been a couple of months, anyway x3)

enchantedsleeper

"And none of them got themselves back together and turned things around?" "No." (Implication = no, they did not) "And none of them got themselves back together and turned things around?" "Yes." - Technically this would be Iris confirming what Liz has feared, but it also comes off like a contradiction. Yes they did or no they didn't? xD It's one of those occasions where both "yes" and "no" could be used to mean the same thing. Ah, English.

Munchkin Threats

I like to call that being droned because I clearly have no pilot when I get there. XD

Logan Nix

Congrats on being so close to that milestone! Getting to where you are now is a helluva achievement already, best of luck to ya the rest of the way!

enchantedsleeper

This conversation never happened, and she'll flat out deny it if anyone asks x3 Liz is probably too drunkstoned to remember, anyway.

SilverbackRon

Iris Gets You. And apparently me too.

enchantedsleeper

I love BOTH of those pages/scenes so much. (Also, I wanna teach my kids the same comeback just in case xD)

enchantedsleeper

Social link level up?

enchantedsleeper

Congrats on your upcoming graduation 💜💜💜💜

enchantedsleeper

I LOVE THIS So not what I was expecting from this party but I'm SO here for it

SilverbackRon

Sorry for the shitty things you have had to go through, I am glad you are persevering. MLIS? Wow did you find the right place here. 👍

Logan Nix

I stared at this comment in shock for longer than I'd like to admit before realizing the "Yelling Bird" patreon user might be an actual person doing a bit (until you're Not doing the bit) rather than a joke account set up by Jeph like I'd always assumed. Anyway, offering hugs now 🫂

Logan Nix

I think it reads well enough at a glance to not be confusing, but YMMV with double negatives

Logan Nix

@SilverbackRon, GOD SAME. Every time the POV switches I pray that we get a glimpse of Millefeuille and Bronwyn, they were some of my favorites </3

Logan Nix

He goes celibate shortly thereafter 😝

Logan Nix

@Ursus Ridens, It's certainly empathy, just of the cognitive ("i understand what you're feeling") kind rather than the affective ("I feel what you're feeling") kind. Compassion ("I care about what you're feeling") is another beast entirely, and I have no idea if Iris is on that or not 😛

SilverbackRon

No, I think AI/Human compatibility is kind of the cornerstone of QC.

SilverbackRon

I miss Millefeuille. One of the dangers of having such a large cast, there is always someone we haven't seen in a year or more.

Charlotte Grubbs

I was exactly like Liz at 19. Not a super genius, but a smart person who breezed through high school and freshman year only to hit a brick wall sophomore year due to a combo of depression, undiagnosed ADHD, and sexual assault. I almost flunked out and eventually took a year off before finally graduating, and scrapped plans to go to grad school. Did I eventually get myself back together and turn things around? Well, I'm 34 now, and I would still describe myself as a "work in progress." You never really get the shiny optimism and potential of youth back. You do get hard-earned wisdom and learn to persevere. And hey, I'm one semester away from graduating with my MLIS.

Fart Captor

The trashfire lesbians are bonding… 🥹

Daniel S

Jeph I did not come here to get roasted.

Markus Schaber

I'm not sure how fast AI would evolve. Neither would evolution necessarily eliminate empathy.

Bagge

Hedpats for Liz

Captain Button

Didn't JG Ballard write a book about that?

Halloween Jack

Also, I felt seen as well. "Spreading crack in the foundation" covers so much.

Halloween Jack

This is the beginning of a beautiful relationship. Or a beautiful car crash. Or both.

Yelling Bird

I'm afraid to find out.

Elf Sternberg

Jesus, Iris, I feel so called out now it hurts.

Ben R

We are all both of them...and many, many others.

BookBeard

Shorter, but no less brutal. https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3951

Miyaa

Ironically, terrible.

Miyaa

Come to think of it, Pintsize hasn’t been the same since.

nullpotato

What a wild ride. Did the brain damage get you average?

Uniquitous

Oh wow. Achievement unlocked. By whom, I can't say.

Brad

Lots of Iris development in this latest series. She is truly lovely under that shell.

William Cole

Like an iris, of course!

Ursus Ridens

Can't find the number, but there was the time when Brun completely pwned her tormentors in high school.

Ursus Ridens

I didn't read that as empathy, but as a monster burn.

Ursus Ridens

Higher-capacity coolant pump.

Holly Nelson

Ah, Iris. A good person who has seen so many people immersed in failures and disappointment that’s she’s permanently wary of optimism. -pat pat pat- (She probably reads history too. That wouldn’t help at all, at all.)

BookBeard

How does she smell?

BookBeard

Millefeuille has thus far not been shown in any verified romantic relationship, despite the popular headcanon.

Jathby Dredas

Took a long time to come back from this. Accepting myself as just a person, and becoming comfortable with merely "OK" work helped a lot.

Captain Button

Will that void the warranty?

BookBeard

I don't see Yay there, but they are pretty stealthy. Are they hiding behind the grill?

BookBeard

Wow, that was unexpectedly insightful. Anyone else getting flashbacks to this one? I mean in terms of the impromptu psychoanalysis, albeit with very different intent. https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3763

Drazi

Well, ouch. Why must you call out us damaged smart people like this?

Onyx

Awww to both of them

Bill Silvia

Iris is listening like a linguist and not like a mathematician.

Bill Silvia

It is best to plan for a full moon for this stage.

Yelling Bird

I grew up feeling stupid because everyone around me (teachers included) pounded it into my head all through grade school and high school. Then I went to college and I was an asshole because I reflexively came at people the way people back home had always come at me. I had taken them back home to be normal because the way they had treated me was all I'd ever known. Then after some testing it turned out I was a genius (like documented) and it was everyone back home that were stupid. So then I was an insufferable prick for a while because I felt superior, and I AM superior to those that caused all this bullshit, but I've come to find out that I'm much closer to normal than I had ever dreamed. Of course, this was before I flatlined that time and got some minor brain damage, but hey...

Carl Fink

You mean aside from Millefeuille, right?

PsychOut

I love all the new characters, I love this storyline

Constantine Hannaher

I can almost see "no, none of them did" and "yes, some of them did" as conversational replies.

Thunder

Maxim 70: Failure isn't an option, it's a requirement. The option is whether or not failure is the last thing you do.

Opus the Poet

I feel this one in my soul, literally. I was like Liz before the depression set in and I had to drop out. It took me years to re-aim myself. And then I got hit with a truck...

Thomas Halpin

Oh heck! Iris is pretty great when she stops trying not to be.

Nathan Kinsey

I know that "there's no answer I can give that you won't spin to call yourself a failure" moment all too well. It's tricky to explain. People in that frame of mind usually aren't ready to hear it.

alphanor

It's a good place for both of them to start healing. Iris is trying to help Liz to get out of the deep well of depression she has ensconced herself in, and Liz is starting to help Iris break down the massive wall she has erected around herself for protection. Progress on both tasks is occurring, albeit slowly and gradually.

lilibat

ouch

Opus the Poet

Right now we only have one canonical girl/gynoroid relationship, there is lots of room for others. And Winslow is not in a romantic relationship with anyone, just the platonic relationship with Hannelore. We really don't have any human/android relationships in-comic other than that. I don't see Pintsize in any kind of relationship other than wacky.

Steve McSheffrey

Which ironically is something best done when drunk or high.

FreeReedz

Truly.

Jeremy

Awww, it is like seeing Kahneman and Tversky meeting for the first time, setting the foundation to rattle stolid branches of psychology.

Opus the Poet

Not Man-Bat...

Matt Donaldson

The saddest gotcha ever

Munchkin Threats

Iris is a good person. She just doesn't want to admit it

That Blair Guy

Wow. Did NOT see that coming. Well played Iris

Lightsabr2

Name's "Iris" not "Nostril"

Nicolas Demers

No no, she started the process of putting the gremlin back together. Or naming the flaw and letting the gremlin do it herself. Or something.

Michael Chui

This is why you shouldn't use negatives like Liz did.

Andrew

Iris: gremlin therapist

djellafine

Just realized Iris doesn't have a nose

Brent Ward

Shouldn't the outcomes for Iris answering Liz in Panel 4 be reversed? An answer in the affirmative would be the "terminal diagnosis". That being said, mood.

Rhyon Ingalls

So naturally, if Charisma is Iris's dump stat, she has pretty wicked Insight to compensate. Liz got READ

Rich Holmes

Bat-Like Man

Rich Holmes

The gremlin broke her.

Leaflemming

Speaking as someone who works with grad students, this is an exceptionally well observed strip.

Miyaa

“That guy?” “No Batguy!”

Carrie

💕💜

PostRetroism

Liz just hit that point where she thinks "I don't want to be drunk and/or high anymore" and goes and stares at the city lights or stars or something similar.

Carrie

🤣😂🤣😂

Elf0004

Oof, this one hit a little too close to home...

Dean Reilly

Home of Batguy.

Michael

How to handle failure is a lesson everyone has to learn if they want to be successful, I got a lot of hate for saying this when I was a teacher for a short while.